Continuing development on Long Island, especially in the form of suburban sprawl, is putting a strain on the natural environment, notably the flora and fauna in this ecologically diverse and fragile area. The East End is home to several threatened and endangered plants and animals, including the eastern mud turtle, the eastern tiger salamander and coppery St. John's-wort. Poorly managed growth is also increasing the strain on the region's overburdened transportation infrastructure.

Smart growth is an urban planning theory that concentrates growth in the higher density areas that are better served by transit and less energy dependent, avoiding suburban sprawl while developing vibrant, unique communities. Smart growth focuses on compact, mixed-use neighborhoods that are transit-oriented, and feature diverse building and housing types and people of mixed incomes, ages and household sizes.

In 2000, Suffolk County adopted The Smart Growth Policy Plan for Suffolk County, which encourages mixed-use development in already developed areas, multi-stakeholder planning processes, downtown development, mixed income housing, public transportation, and compact development that preserves open space. In 2003, the Suffolk County Department of Planning released a report prioritizing the Smart Growth Policy Plan's recommendations. Although the County continues to work toward its smart growth goals, the need for more sustainable planning and development strategies continues. While a regional voice is clearly necessary to advance a comprehensive smart growth agenda, local governments can play a leading role in advancing these policies.

NYLCV strongly recommends the following steps be taken to ensure East End development is both economically and environmentally favorable:

• Amend local zoning laws to encourage downtown and mixed-use development by designating "development zones" where increased density is allowed.
• Require developers to pay the full cost of public utility infrastructure and a "smart growth" fee to build outside the designated development zones. Revenue from this smart growth fee should be used to provide low-interest loans and grants for approved projects, such as water quality improvement, open space preservation, low environmental impact and brownfield redevelopment projects.
• Expedite building permitting processes to reward applicants who comply with U.S. Green Building Council LEED Standards.
• Provide for local transportation alternatives by creating bicycle lanes and bicycle parking in appropriate areas. Require all new developments to be accessible by public transportation and connected to bike lanes and pedestrian pathways.
• Offer incentives to subdivision applicants who exceed existing conservation standards.
• Support coordinated efforts among the many East End jurisdictions to develop a comprehensive public transit plan for the region and consider the possibility of a regional bonding authority to finance a new transit system in the area.